HENDERSON COUNTY, NC - LETTERS - Balis Edney Civil War Correspondence ----¤¤¤¤---- Some public records of Balis Edney and the Civil War in Western North Carolina [Cpt. Balis Edney was a Henderson County attorney, wealthy landowner in Henderson, Buncombe and Madison Counties, and formerly had served as the U.S. Consul to Palermo Italy in the 1850's. His letters provide a first-hand account of life in the mountains of Western North Carolina during the 1860's.] The following is an extract of a portion of a family history, pages 299-309, the greater part known as My North Carolina Heritage - Volume 6 - Descendants of Robert Edney and Anna A. Wrensher, © 1997 by Marshall L. Styles, published by Higginson Book Company, Salem, Massachusetts. As a preface to the letters that follow, this item was extracted from the Confederate Military Service Records of "Captain Baylus M. Edney", Company "B", 25th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, State Troops: "April 30, 1862. Baylus M. Edney, Captain, discharged by order General Ransom, Apl 30, 1862, having refused re-election [as Captain] in the Company." By refusing re-election, his basic statement was that he was no longer interested in leading his men. His discharge reported arose from a very severe argument with his commanding officer, Colonel Thomas L. Clingman (for whom Clingman's Dome is named). Colonel Clingman, a practicing attorney, as was Baylus M. Edney, had once represented Edney in a court case to recover money from three Cherokee County, NC, gentlemen by the name of Jacob Snyder, Jeptha Wikle, and James M. Bryson. --- Marshall L. Styles Civil War Correspondence of, or Pertaining to Captain Balis M. Edney, 1861 - 1863 Balis / Bayles / Balous M. Edney was a die-hard secessionist before the war, during the war while he was on active duty, and before the end of hostilities after he had returned to civilian life. Because of his die-hard secessionist philosophies, he died a cruel, hard death at the hands of his own friends and neighbors. In the papers of North Carolina Governors John W. Ellis and Zebulon Vance, the latter being a Confederate officer before being elected the war-time governor of North Carolina, several letters may be found which reflect Mr. Edney's persuasions, some written by him, others about him. They are transcribed herein in chronological order. Ivy Bend, Madison Co. NC, Jan 28, 1861 Dear Sir: It is with pleasure & regret that I take this opportunity to drop you a line. In the first place I am glad to let you no that the majority of our people in this country is for the union. All the countys west of the Blue Ridge is union by a large majority & my opinion is the state is from the part information that I can gether, it is set down that North Carolina is ceessian. But if it is left to the people to say, they will say diferent demagogs is a trying to so the seed of discord thruout this country. But they have faild as yet. Secondly, I regret that I'm under the necessity of inquiring of you if nothing can bedone to settle this momentus question that is convulsing the country from center to circumference and threating our pece & happiness. Do all you can. If accomplished you will do a greate work as a national body. If not all is lost. If division is the result and the South has to set up for itself this people is as true to the south as any people that ever trod the soil. But let it be the Last Resort. I would like to hear from you occasionaly. Rite soon. The people wants to hear your opinion as to the probability of compromise, if not the chanc of Arms for protection. This country is a defencless condition provided war is the result. I want to no who is to blame, the South or the North. It is argued in the country by the leaders that it is the North Country for the difficulty. But I am of a deferent opinion. I believe that boath sections is to blame. Your enemies in the county is trying to make capital of your being a union man. I hope you are. At Burnsville last weeke throu the influence of General Edney & others they hung you in Efigy & if the thing had been got hold of rite, thir lives would a paid the forfeit. I dont rite those things to agetate you, but to let you no what are going on here. Keepe it rite on & take care of our interest & we will take care of you. Pardon the length of my leter. I must come to a close by subscribing my self your friend. {Signed} Rev. Joseph P. Eller" At the the outbreak of war, and when he could still call himself General, a military title given him for his consular appointment to Palermo, Italy in 1851, he took it upon himself, for what he saw as his duty and for the good of his Edneyville community, to write a letter to then-North Carolina governor John W. Ellis. Edneyville NC. May 20th 1861 To His Excellence, John W. Ellis -- My Dear Sir: I address Your Excellency upon a subject of most vital importance and beg your serious consideration and a full conference with Mr. N.W. [Nicholas] Woodfin, & a most prompt reply to this communication. There is a region of country extending from this point out on the ridge and throughout the Wolf Pit box on Tryons and Green River Cove out of which not one volunteer has either joined Shipps Company or mine, and they are as deadly hostile to our raising volunteers & the whole defence of the South as any portion of Pennsylvania & openly declaring in large bodies that if they take no part in the fight but stand still, that Lincolns Army will not hurt them but save them & their property. Now Sir, the most dreadful apprehensions are felt by our Female society at large, & particularly throughout this neighborhood, and north of us where nearly every strong man is a member of my company, that as soon as we leave that bloodshed, house burning & death will commence. Some of the most respectible of these traitors said in my presence they should take no part, the South was wrong and corrupt, and out to be subdued. This disaffected region is some 18 or 20 miles square. I will be able to leave with my company in some ten days and I desire to hear from you before I leve and the whole people here desire I should hear from you ere I leave and that some mode be adopted by which I may relieve there painful apprehensions & the only one I can think of is for you to authorise me to make a draft and I can quite soon gather up the leaders, & throw them into ranks and move off and leave all right at home. Have you the power? If you have, exercise it and I can exercise mine here and the country will know nothing of it, or if you think it not expedient, if you will write me, that unless those disaffected men contribute to the volunteer corps, that you will order a draft. It may have the effect - yet I ceriously advise the first course. I beg of you, to submit my letter to Mr. Woodfin and write me promptly. I am no alarmist, but I write you the sentiments, at the request of all the True Men of this neighborhood. Houses, and other buildings have been burned already by them & our neighborhood has to hire night guards and our paper in the village is full of notorious pieces & poisen daily the hearts of those Rebels and Tories I spoke of. I repeat and beg you adopt and and empower me the most stringent corrective, and I will promptly execute it. Most respectfully, your obedient servant, B.M. Edney Captain Edney's letter was endorsed by Governor Ellis, "Say that a committee of safety is all I can suggest. The Militia of Buncombe may be called out to aid them. I will confer with Mr. Woodfin on the subject." Confederate States of America, War Department, Richmond, Va, March 26, 1863. His Excellency Z.B. Vance, Governor of North Carolina. Sir: The application recently made by General Edney, of your State, sustained by your indorsement, asking that effective measures be taken to repress and disperse the bands of marauding deserters and refugees represented to be collecting in the mountains of your western counties, has been submitted to the President and received the attentive consideration of the Department. It is not deemed judicious to assent to the suggestion of the petition presented by General Edney that the conscript law be suspended in the counties west of the Blue Ridge in your State and that local organizations of the militia or State forces be formed to operate against these marauding bands. In addition to the objection that the conscripts of the districts where safely available might thus be withdrawn from the calls of the public service, where they are now so needed, it is feared that the use of these men exclusively or mainly against the marauding and disaffected classes of their vicinity might engender the worst sort of civil strife and lead to inextinguishable feuds and mutual reprisals, to the grievous affliction and waste of the whole region. It has been thought a wiser course to order General Donelson, in whose command the district lies, to send an efficient officer with an adequate command to search through the mountains disaffected localities, capture or disperse all outlying bands, and, seeking the aid of the enrolling officer of the district, to conscribe and send to the remote armies all of conscript ages believed to be dangerous or disloyal. At the same time, partly to co-operate with him, but mainly afterward to report similar manifestations and preserve order, it is suggested that all the loyal citizens not liable to conscription should be organized into corps for local defense and special service,ö to remain quietly at their homes when no danger existed, but to be liable to be called into service whenever occasion demanded. These, if promptly formed, might act at once with General Donnelson's command, but in any event it is hoped may be constituted in time effectually to keep down any further uprisings or collections of marauders. Should they prove inefficient or inadequate for such purpose, conscripts collected from the loyal portion of the neighboring people will be deatiled to join and act under such organizations so long as their services may be necessary. In this mode the conscripts will be retained at command, nor will they be formed into separate organizations, from which, when once formed of conscripts, experience has shown they cannot be withdrawn without difficulty and seeming injustice, especially to the officers. Sincere solicitude is felt by the Department for the relief of the district referred to, and it has dictated the measures suggested. It is hoped they will prove effectual and at the same time meet the sanction and co-operation of Your Excellency. With high esteem, very truly, yours. James A. Seddon, Secretary of War Hendersonville. April 20th 1863 To His Excellency Z.B. Vance. My Dear Sir: No orders from the commandant of conscripts have yet been received by Lt. Roberts & he is enrolling all conscripts. There can be no doubt that the last paragraph of the Secretarys letter to you intended the conscripts between 35 & 40 should be retained here as long as their services are wanted to act in conjunction with your organized militia forces & the Confederate forces. Roberts says he will carefully obey the orders when sent & I can not conceive why the orders are not here. If these men are forced away, destitution & spoiled property will be inevitable. I hope you will see the commandant of conscripts at once & pressure him to issue the orders. If he is so instructed & I am quite sure that was the purpose of the order & please re-examine your letter & if necessary telegraph the Secretary to have the orders or know what was his real purpose & whether any relief is to be granted these conscripts at present. For if not, the evil herein presented must fall upon the country. Our people all look to you to aid me in this important work & for God sake do so without delay & they think you can do everything & do act at once & write me forthwith. Do learn by telegraph from the Secretary whether any present relief is intended for the conscripts west of the Blue Ridge. I shall wait anxiously to hear from you & all are waiting on me. Your obedient servant -- B.M. Edney Edneyville, July 15th 1863. To His Excellency Z.B. Vance. My Dear Sir: I have just returned from Columbia & embrace the first opportunity to return my sincere thanks for your high-minded & noble conduct in observing individual civil liberty over ill-gotten and military despotism. I wrote you the true history of Costons' case & I am proud of you, as our Governor. That you have the independence to vindicate civil power & to employ the arms of the state in asserting it, in upholding the inalienable right of the citizen, & maintaining untarnished the bright escutcheon of our civil liberty. Had these time honored principles of state rights upon which the once beautifully wrought government was based been asserted & maintained in days passed away within our memory, then our country now would not have been bleeding. The great error committed in the passed history of our form of government was the tacit submission of the states to the independent & unauthorized sways of the federal government till at last, the designing & corrupt rulers at Washington thought they saw such implicit confidence on the part of the states & the people that they could assert any right, or violate any provision of the Constitution under the name of The United States & that the whole family of states would submit. Thus they assert abolitionism with all its fumes of Hell & the stench soon became noxious in Southern nostrils & the war opened & we are now fighting on our part, simply to maintain our constitutional rights, & they are struggling to carry out the damnable cheat & fraud that they suppose the states had slept into, that the United States could do no wrong. I think this appeal to arms will settle forever the questions that the Civil Government is the mere creature of the states & that the citizens owes allegiance to the sovereignties of the states & not to the Civil Government. There lives no man who is more ardently attached to the war cause than myself & none more desirous of having every soldier liable to duty to be at his post & that the most rigid execution of military law should be enforced & every deserter & skulker from legitimate duty should be hunted down & punished, & yet on the other hand, I am equally determined to see ample justice awarded to the citizen who is justly entitled to his freedom. I am pleased to have it in my power to say to you, that your address has given universal satisfaction to our people as being entirely just to all & impartial in all bearings upon all classes, rich & poor. God grant how soon this war cloud may break & the sun of Austerlits may rise upon our hopes & prospects. Believe me, ever your sincere & obedient friend & humble servant. B.M. Edney Asheville NC, July 18th 1863 To His Excellency Z.B. Vance I exceedingly regret that you were hastened away before I arrived. I desired to see you on many subjects, only one of which will I draw your attention to now. I herewith endorse Dr. Whitteds' certificate as to Murfrees' chronic rheumatism of many years standing. This region of countrys' furnished store, entered from Green River -- cross the mountain by Edneyville to Cain Creek on this side & across Hickory Nut Road to Crooked Creek in McDowell -- in those bounds there is not a single store -- he has kept long before & since the war, a general assortment of medicines suited to the wants of our people & groceries such as they were compelled to have. If he be taken into service, the store will be obliged to be closed. For these reasons I respectfully ask your Excellency exempt him from service & shall be most happy to hear from you at Edneyville. Most respectfully, your obedient & humble servant. B.M. Edney [The ink is so badly faded from the following letter, many parts are completely illegible. Enough is still sufficiently legible as to allow insight into his thoughts.] August 4th 1863 Gov. Z.B. Vance My Dear Sir: I got alarmed at the news on the Army close to Richmond... a strong petition... by the Secretary of War stating that here with Col. Love in Cherokee who had the... the Civilians that disparage the returning Soldiers and sent them home... for there were... all contents as fell... and write them with the... and let you approve officers to control them and exterminate the uncivilized bands... the petition was supported by all citizens, and who support Gov. Vance. I have belief... through a mistake... will be forwarded to night to Richmond and also a strong petition from you... or the office... in my letters... all of them. You will possibly get it and other letters from Colonel Klingman on various subjects... the whole country is in a state of dreadful apprehension. Til the conscripts from age 45 are taken in the Mountain District... will be overrun, killed and murdered and the truth is the conscripts will not go and the conscripts cannot be made to go and if it be... ...I am not mistaken about. I have heard the best men in it declare that they will die before they will leave their homes and families exposed as they are; and they will. I have been startled at their declarations and reproved them, but they paid no heed. I never breathed this before, but intended to say it to you. I beg you, for Gods sake, have these conscripts detained for the present. It will save our country from a dreadful state of anarchy and bloodshed. It is now... to others for my letters. All the time you are there & you will get these & with the views herein of... give a serious consideration of this Department. B.M. Edney Asheville, August 14th 1863 To His Excellency Z.B. Vance The papers I supposed would be sent to you at Richmond have been sent to me & I now enclose them to you & allow you to take such action as you may think best. I beg you also to urge the Secretary of War to issue an order through his Adjutant General to have all letters to & from the Confederate Army inspected by a proper officer, for all the evils of Civilians & deserters are owing to letters written by Tories to their friends in the armys to desert & come home. They come & then are fed by the home Tories & these union bands are formed in the disloyal neighborhoods. To God, some suggest this at once to the... Our country all around us is in a terrible state & nothing but State and Confederate Executive power will save it from Civil War. Respectfully, your obedient servant. B.M. Edney The original letters are maintained in the respective Governors' papers in the Archives of the Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh, North Carolina, copies of which have been obtained by Marshall L. Styles. There is no evidence in the papers of Governor Ellis nor of Governor Vance that Balis' letters were ever answered personally to him. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Marshall Styles ___________________________________________________________________